Drunk man held for making hoax call, warning a repeat of 1993 blasts

The accused, identified as Nabi Yahan Khan alias KGN Lala is a resident of Malad and upon investigation, the Juhu unit of Maharashtra Anti-terrorism Squad (ATS) learnt that Khan was involved in 12 cases of body offences, robberies, land grabbing and due to his criminal activities, he was externed from the city two years ago

Mumbai: A 55-year-old man was arrested for allegedly making a hoax call to the Mumbai police control room on Saturday claiming to have inputs that terror suspects have arrived in the city to blow up areas like Mahim, Nagpada, Madanpura and Bhendi Bazar.

Drunk man held for making hoax call, warning a repeat of 1993 blasts

The man told the control room that suspects will carry out blasts similar to the 1993 Bombay bombings.

The accused, identified as Nabi Yahan Khan alias KGN Lala is a resident of Malad and upon investigation, the Juhu unit of Maharashtra Anti-terrorism Squad (ATS) learnt that Khan was involved in 12 cases of body offences, robberies, land grabbing and due to his criminal activities, he was externed from the city two years ago.

According to the ATS officer, Khan called 100 around 7:30pm on Saturday. He was under the influence of alcohol and claimed that terror suspects from other states had arrived in the city to bomb several important areas and cause riot-like situations in the city.

“The accused also claimed that he had inputs that the suspects had identified four places- Mahim, Madanpura, Nagpada and Bhendi Bazar area where they would be conducting a series of bomb blasts like those which occurred in 1993,” said a police officer.

Soon after the call, six teams were formed by Mumbai police, and several units of the crime branch started searching for the caller. The ATS was also learnt about the call and under the guidance of ATS chief, Sadanand Date, officials of the Juhu unit managed to trace the caller in Pathanwadi area at Malad East, said an ATS official.

“The accused has 12 previous cases of assault, two robberies, land grabbing and body offences registered against him in Dindoshi and other police stations. He is notorious in the area, added the ATS official.

He claims that he has worked with a few policemen as an informer which we will verify. It appears that there is something wrong due to which he made a hoax call, added an ATS official.

As of now police have no such inputs about the terror threat in the city, added the officer.

The accused was handed over to the Azad Maidan police for legal action. He was arrested under the charges of 505 (1), 506 (2) and 182 of the Indian Penal Code.

Another hoax caller arrested

On Sunday, a 20-year-old man was arrested for allegedly making a hoax call against a South Mumbai-based restaurant. The accused has been identified as Govind Yadav alias Kaliya, who resides on a pavement opposite Delhi Darbar hotel.

Yadav is unemployed and he called the police control room claiming that a bomb had been placed in the premises of Delhi Darbar restaurant at Grant Road East.

As soon as the call was received at 1:30am, teams from BDDS (Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad) were alerted. They reached the hotel and checked the premises and found out that it was a fake call.

“It appears that he had gone for food and water in the hotel and was refused so he decided to harass them by making a hoax call,” said senior inspector Kishor Shinde of the VP Road police station. “He called from his mobile number so we traced him within two hours. He was arrested from the vicinity of the hotel,” added Shinde.